Miracle Wings : Choice of the Warriors
by Amesachi
Summary: Despite the warnings her spiritual ancestors send her, she continues on with her perfect love life, while at the same time her sister's relationship with Brambleclaw is going downhill. Strange things occur, and one question remains- now what?
1. Flying Away

Leafpool padded through the thick forest that she called home. Thunderclan. Only days before had she received her full medicine cat's name, and only then had she realized the full extent of her feelings for Crowfeather. That night, when battle raged around them, when she was on the brink of death…she looked up from the edge of the cliff and found him. His blue eyes weighed down with regret…thinking about the past where he could not have done anything to save the one he loved…Leafpaw, as she had been known then, scrabbled her paws on the rock.

"_Crowfeather…help me...it wasn't your fault that Feathertail died!" She had barely been able to gasp out the words as she slowly slid over the edge of the rock and dangled over the abyss below. _

_He blinked and then hesitantly grasped her scruff in his jaws. Leafpaw felt him pulling and then she was on solid ground again, tumbling head over heels. Crowfeather lay sprawled nearby, still looking dazed and eyes filled with an unfathomable emotion. _

_She risked a quick glance at him and chanced a remark. "I must be the last cat you'd want to save." Her light humor went unnoticed by Crowfeather. Instead, he looked up and met her gaze with burning blue eyes that rivaled the sky._

"_How can you think that…" he'd whispered. "How can you think that when day and night all I've been able to focus on is you?"_

"_What?" She was stunned, unable to say anything._

"_I keep thinking and I know that this isn't right! You're a medicine cat…nothing will change that. And Feathertail…am I betraying her memory by loving you as well?"_

_The last few words he had spoken echoed in her mind. By…loving me as well? Love?_

Since then, every meeting with him had been secret, every shared moment of bliss a forbidden second of their lives. But she was happy when she saw him, happier then she had ever been. Her tail whisked and her tabby pelt shone in the dappled sun, as she roamed off to collect herbs…and meet Crowfeather. Cinderpelt, her mentor, did not know, and how could she ever know? It was so, so forbidden for a medicine cat to fall in love…but she had, and now there was no stopping it. It was getting deeper and deeper every day, the undercurrent of suppressed emotions threatening to flood her entire being. Even her sister, Squirrelflight, was oblivious to her emotions. Leafpool padded on, her mind buzzing with thoughts.

"Squirrelflight, let's leave for the patrol already. Or did you plan on sitting there until you're an elder?" Brambleclaw's cold, scathing voice floated over to her.

"I wanted to listen to Firestar!" she protested, her flame colored pelt burning in the sunshine.

He snorted and waved his tail for the rest of the patrol to gather. Ashfur brushed against her and murmured "It's fine, he's just trying to help the clan."

She nodded irritably and followed Brambleclaw, all the time wondering how things had gotten like this. A few moons before, they had been closer than close, closer even than the relationship she had with Leafpool, her littermate. Now though…she sighed. The ravine disappeared behind her, hidden by thick forest and thorns. Where _was _Leafpool these days? Cinderpelt's den was overflowing with herbs and seeds and yet Leafpool insisted on gathering more every day. Squirrelflight was sure that one day there'd be enough herbs and seeds for all of the four clans and maybe even Starclan. But the thought dissipated like fog in the afternoon, as fleeting as thoughts could be. She was certain that Ashfur was a good friend, but maybe he wanted to be more than friends. His dark blue eyes were often clouded with concern, and his gray pelt was always next to her, comforting her in times of trouble.

_Ashfur's much nicer than Brambleclaw…_she thought as she sidestepped a clump of bracken. She thought of her father, Firestar, and her mother, Sandstorm. The way he was so loving, the way she trusted him with her life…

Squirrelflight stopped. _Would I trust Ashfur with my life? _The answer was no. Then: _Would I trust Brambleclaw with my life? _And she found that no matter what, she could not answer that question.


	2. Suspicious Aroused

The moon swept serenely over the night sky, leaving behind a sparkling trail of silver stars. _StarClan, can you see us?_

Every time she snuck out to see him, her pelt crawled with guilt. She was defying StarClan! She was disobeying the warrior code, the law that all Clan cats lived by! She was a medicine cat, and she was in love.

She sighed softly and curled up tighter next to Crowfeather, basking in the warmth of his scent. Wasn't it the most _wonderful _thing to be in love?

Crowfeather licked her ear gently. "I wish we didn't have to keep it a secret."

Instantly alert, she opened her eyes and asked, "What?"

"The-the…just…this in general," he attempted to explain, sweeping his tail in a wide arc.

She nodded, sadness clouding over her green eyes. Crowfeather winced. He hated to see her unhappy. Resting her head on her paws, she murmured, "If only we could run away…"

"Why don't we?"

The answer surprised her and she glanced up at him, ears pricked. "What do you mean?"

"Why can't we run away to somewhere else, where the Clans don't exist?"

"B-but what about your Clan?" _And mine…_she added silently.

"…They can manage without me."

"Yes, but…oh, Crowfeather…"

"It's okay, you don't have to think about it now." He let the last words drop from his mouth like stones as he leaned against Leafpool. She felt shivers jumping up her spine, slowly crawling towards her neck and head.

They remained like that for the better part of the night, and when there was only an hour till sunrise, Crowfeather nudged Leafpool gently, shook off the twigs from his pelt and mewed a soft good-bye. Leafpool looked away and whispered one as well. Turning around, they headed their separate ways, the magical night gone, and returned to their daylight lives. Leafpool padded away, stopping to tear off a clump of horsetail. Continuing on, she paused frequently to collect herbs, until she'd had enough to cover her absence during the night. As she drew ever closer to camp, the sun rose steadily above the horizon until the sky was a tinged pink. She entered the camp, passed Cloudtail who was yawning and preparing to sleep off the hours wasted on watch, and slipped into the medicine cats' den.

"Cinderpelt?" she called softly, after dropping her huge bundle and putting one paw into the mossy crack.

"Here. Leafpool, where were you?" a voice demanded as its owner stepped out into the sunlight.

"Gathering herbs," she replied, nudging the stack of horsetail, catmint, tansy, juniper berries, and cobwebs.

"You've been gathering herbs every night lately," she remarked with cold accuracy. "Is there something I should know about?"

"No." Leafpool looked her mentor straight in the eye. _No, there isn't, because how could I ever tell you?_


	3. How Indeed?

Squirrelflight shifted her weight as she waited for Ashfur to come and complete the dawn patrol. Brambleclaw sat like a stone, every bit as still and twice as cold.

Ashfur came up, panting slightly. "Sorry, I had to help Ferncloud-"

"Whatever it was, no use blathering about it now," Brambleclaw interrupted rudely as he turned towards the camp entrance. "Be useful and focus."

Squirrelflight opened her mouth indignantly to respond when Ashfur dipped his head, flicked her shoulder with his tail, and followed Brambleclaw.

Fuming, she followed. _How could Ashfur let Brambleclaw boss him around like that?_

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Rainwish, come on!" Spiderleg lashed his tail back and forth as he waited for his Clanmate to emerge from the warrior's den.

Rainwish hurried out, blinking her clear blue eyes. She had been made a warrior only the day before, and had spent the night keeping watch over the camp entrance. Her gray pelt was still fluffy from sleep, and her white paws were still timid and quiet as she stepped on the ground.

"S-Sorry," she mewed, distressed. "I overslept…"

"There's no time for oversleeping," he snapped. "You're a warrior now!"

Looking at her paws, she mumbled, "Coming." She joined Berrynose as Spiderleg led them out into the forest to hunt.


	4. Yellowfang's Wrath

Silverpelt sparkled in the midnight sky, streaking across the inky blackness in a brilliant arc of silver. The medicine cats crouched down on the Moonpool's banks, leaning down to lap up the icy water.

Leafpool let the mineral- tasting water wash over her tongue as she closed her eyes and sank into sleep.

When she opened her eyes again, she was facing not the Moonpool, but Yellowfang's amber eyes and bared teeth.

Shocked, she leapt back, fur bristling in terror. Yellowfang's eyes were narrowed and her lips were drawn back in a snarl.

"Leafpool, what have you done?" she hissed angrily.

"W-what?" Leafpool stammered, eyes wide and frightened.

"Crowfeather." Yellowfang let the name slide through her mouth.

"I-I don't know w-what you mean," she defended herself, her heart pounding in her ears.

"You've been sneaking off every other night to meet him!" the older cat accused, spitting out every word. "StarClan will _not _tolerate this! You are a medicine cat! _Medicine cats don't fall in love! _"

"What else can't they do? Lead a life?" Gentle Leafpool was stung into retorting with the harsh "It's not like you've ever been in love! How would you know? I happen to have needs outside of giving up my life so that my Clanmates are happy…!"

Yellowfang's eyes darkened and she growled. "How would I know? The question is, how would _you? _You assume that every cat follows their destiny and only you have gone through this predicament! The truth is, you're wrong."

About to reply, Leafpool was cut off by the gray she- cat. "I have been in love before. And I paid for it."

Leafpool's eyes opened wider in shock, seeing her face reflected in Yellowfang's burning dark amber eyes.

"Enough." Ears drooping, Yellowfang snarled. "I will not stand here discussing what went wrong with my past. The problem right now is you. If you're not going to stop this foolishness, not even StarClan can tell what's in store for you."

The tabby medicine cat looked down at her paws, green eyes darkened and worried. Then she spoke, her voice low and soft. "I'm sorry, Yellowfang, but I..."

Yellowfang started to say something, but then Leafpool raised her head again. "This is my decision, Yellowfang, and I'll stand by it."

"You'll regret it." The old she-cat turned and padded away into the hazy forest. As she disappeared, blackness spread, darkening the leaves of the trees and sweeping Leafpool back into reality, where she was waking up with the other medicine cats stirring beside her.

Cinderpelt rose to her paws and beckoned Leafpool to come. "We'll see you next time. Safe journeys, everyone."

The others murmured similar good-byes and they went their separate ways.

CInderpelt glanced at Leafpool once before stepping ahead, on the way home.


	5. Tragedy

_And where ever the sun ran, the moon always followed._

"Ashfur!" Squirrelflight ran up to him. "F-Ferncloud is having her kits!"

He whirled around, surprise in his eyes. "Ferncloud?"

Dustpelt shoved past him. "I need to go to her!" With that, he ran off towards the nursery. Ashfur watched him go, obviously concerned for his sister and her mate. Squirrelflight tilted her head slightly and purred at the thought of new kits for the Clan.

"Squirrelflight, d'you think Ferncloud's going to be alright?" mewed Rainwish timidly as she padded up to them.

Ashfur opened his mouth to reply, but Squirrelflight answered first. "Of course! She's a strong cat; and I know her kits are going to be gorgeous."

Rainwish dipped her head and headed off to the warrior's den.

Ashfur purred and licked Squirrelflight's ear. "Thanks." Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Brambleclaw sitting and staring at them acidly.

She flicked her tail at him. "No problem."

An anguished screech cut the soft atmosphere and shredded it into tension. "Ferncloud!" Ashfur raced off to the nursery with Squirrelflight following.

Skidding to a stop in front of the thickly walled nursery, Ashfur stuck his head inside and called to Leafpool. "Is she alright?"

Ferncloud gasped and looked up, eyes dilated with pain. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure-?"

Cinderpelt took charge. "Out! Everybody out! That includes you, Leafpool. Go and get some rest now."

Dustpelt stayed stubbornly and Cinderpelt made no comment.

As they filed outside, they were met with worried glances from the other warriors and apprentices. Rainwish looked at them with wide eyes, and then disappeared into the tunnel.

* * *

_The sun asked the moon why he was following her. He replied, "Something is drawing me to you, I can't explain it."_

_"Then try, because I don't want to have you on my tail for the rest of eternity."_

Rainwish crouched down and crept forward, slowly but surely stalking the large pheasant that sat unawares of her stealthy approach. She was less than a foot away now, she tensed, making no sound, and then-

She pounced, landing squarely on top of the stupid feathered thing and bit its neck hard, killing it instantly.

With the pheasant hanging from her jaws, she began to carry it back to the camp. _So…heavy…how am I supposed to get this back to camp? _she wondered.

About halfway to camp, she dropped the pheasant, letting her tired muscles rest for a bit. Drawing breath, she caught an unfamiliar scent.

_A rogue? _Tensing, she hovered over her prey protectively, waiting for…for what?

No cat appeared, so she relaxed and started the laborious task of carrying the pheasant again.

As she passed through the tunnel, she was met by huge eyes and fear-scent.

Dropping it again, she asked, "What happened?"

"There was… a fox..in…the nursery…" Spiderleg stuttered.

_"WHAT?" _Rainwish half ran, half jumped over to the fresh kill pile, swung the pheasant onto the top, and sprinted into the nursery. "Ferncloud, are you-"

She stopped, horrified by the sight of three small, bloodied bodies. Ferncloud's kits.

Ferncloud herself was scratched and bitten, but the kits…

Ashfur nosed his sister gently. "Ferncloud…"

The queen wailed. "My kits…"

Rainwish crossed over to her and licked her ear gently. Not knowing what to say, she backed out of the nursery, horrified.

Mousefur sighed. "I hope the kits are alright…"

Rainwish gulped. What could she say? That the three newborn kits were dead, and Ferncloud was wailing her heart out? "The kits…are…"

"Are they still alive?" Spiderleg asked hopefully.

"They're…dead."

"No…" Firestar breathed. "They can't be!"

Without a word, she turned away from her Clan leader and went outside of the camp again.

* * *

Author's note: I wanna add another character to this. Should I?


	6. Odd

_Her dream was so impossible that it would be easier to chase shadows and hold them in your hand._

_So she made that her dream - to chase the shadows of stars and catch them; her prey._

Squirrelflight bristled with anger. Ferncloud's kits…newly born and they had never even been _named. _

Damn the fox, killing innocent kits, she fumed angrily as she, too stormed out of the camp. Why? They didn't deserve to die.

_Are you sure about that? _an unknown voice whispered sibilantly in her head.

Quite sure. And who are you?

_You might call me…the fox._

…Why do you murder defenseless kits?

_I was going to eat them, but obviously your friends stopped me. The only thing I did was kill them. No big deal. You overreact too much. There is always new life in the forest, regardless of the circumstances. Creatures are born; and then what? They are born to survive, and then to die. Doesn't that classify as 'deserve to die'?_

…I…

…_You have nothing to say about that, then?_

No…

A new voice broke in. "Of course she does! They were just born. Just born. Without a name, without knowing anything about their world. How would they survive, how would they live if they'd died first? True, there are many regrettable things in this world, and by killing them you might have spared them that, but you've also deprived them of love, of friendship, of loyalty, of their Clanmate's trust, and of their apprenticeship, warrior ceremony, and proper arrival to StarClan! How can anything compare to that?"

Squirrelflight squirmed. Stop breaking into my thoughts, please, she thought.

"Oh. Sorry, Squirrelflight…but it's Rainwish, not an anonymous mind-reader."

Rainwish?

The fox cackled. _Foolish fools. You will never understand._

Neither do we wish to. She swiped at a tree, ripping bark off of the old wood and dug her claws into the ground. Go away. You're not wanted here.

Strangely enough, there was nothing anymore.

First things first. Rainwish, where are you?

"Behind you."

"Wha-?" She whirled around to see the top of Rainwish's smooth gray head.

"Hi?" Rainwish mewed innocently.

"Explain how you got into my mind."

"I don't know how I did it!" she burst out. "It just…um, yeah…"

Squirrelflight scoffed. "Whatever."


	7. Welcome to StarClan, Little Ones

Rainwish padded back to camp with a bristling Squirrelflight next to her. "I'm sorry, okay?"

"What_ever._ Just don't do it again, or else."

"Just because you're the Clan leader's daughter doesn't mean you can be that rude," Rainwish spat back.

"Don't say that to a senior warrior!"

"Senior? Don't kid yourself! You're barely older than me, furball!" With that, she stalked off, tail fluffed and steps stiff.

Squirrelflight fumed. That cheeky piece of fox dung!

A sprig of rosemary rested next to Ferncloud's kits as Leafpool and Cinderpelt rubbed the small, bloodied bodies with more of the fragrant leaves, smoothing the ruffled fur and cleaning the blood off, all the while trying to mask the scent of death. The gray medicine cat looked sadly at the dead kits as she arranged their limbs so as to make it look as if they were merely asleep. "Oh, StarClan," she murmured. "Why did this have to happen?"

Leafpool didn't answer as she watched her white paws work away. She was too busy remembering Yellowfang's warning. _Did this happen because of me?_

Nearby, Ferncloud wailed, her sobs heart breaking but soft. Even in grief, she was still considerate about her Clanmate's need for sleep.

The moon rose in a high arc as one by one, the Clan gathered around to sit vigil.

And the night continued.

Bluestar laid the tip of her tail on Yellowfang's shoulder. "Here they come now."

Three impossibly small kits crawled towards them with barely open eyes. Mewling in little squeaks, they looked around, panicked, as the former leader approached them.

"Welcome to StarClan, little ones."

The kits stared at her, uncomprehending. What else could be expected of kits so young? Bluestar wondered.

One of them opened her mouth and squeaked again. "Ee. Eee. Meen."

The ThunderClan leader's heart melted. "Come here, darlings, and get warm," she cooed, all traces of formality gone.

She'd had her own kits once. Bluestar felt her dormant motherhood coming back and she stepped forward to draw the kits towards her warmth. "You don't need to worry about anything anymore, dears. I promise you will see your mother again."

_"Come here, Mistykit. You'll catch a cold if you keep running around in the snow!"_

_"But I like it, Mother! I'm not cold at all!"_

_"Oh, darling… just come here."_

A/N - Sorry for getting Rainwish & Squirrelflight into a fight "

Ahhh poor Bluestar and Ferncloud…. T^T


	8. Leafpool's Plan

_There was no end to the trail of sparkling stars. It stretched on forever and ever and ever, weaving its way through the deep blue sky._

"Are you ready?"

"Give me two more days… please?"

"Alright. Anything for you." Crowfeather purred as he twined his tail with hers.

"Same with you." Leafpool ducked her head shyly as she rubbed against him happily, feeling his tongue rasp across the top of her head.

"Then I'll meet you here during the Gathering?"

"Yes, I'm sure Firestar will let me stay behind if I ask him," she replied, distracted by his blue eyes looking directly into her heart.

"Okay then. See you later, Leafpool."

"Good- bye, Crowfeather."

She padded away, glowing warm and feeling frisky, though only yesterday...

_"Crowfeather, I can't do this!"_

_"Why not?" His voice was questioning, and as she listened to it she thought she was falling in love all over again._

_"B-because..."_

_"Because she's a medicine cat and medicine cats do not fall in love." Cinderpelt's voice came out of nowhere, and the guilty lovers whirled around, fur on end to face the crippled gray cat._

_"Cinderpelt!"_

_Hackles beginning to rise, her mentor added, "And he's from WindClan. You're digging your own grave."_

_Leafpool turned helplessly to Crowfeather. "Um, can you… leave?"_

_His eyes dark, he protested: "No, what if-"_

_"She won't attack me, trust me. Please go."_

_He nodded angrily and stalked off._

_Trembling, she turned to face Cinderpelt again._

_"You can't do this, Leafpool," Cindepelt ordered. "Face your destiny as a medicine cat!"_

_"No! How would you know? You've never been in love!" she snapped bitterly. "You've never wanted anything but your destiny!"_

_The older cat hissed, and the beginnings of a growl sounded in her throat. "How would you know what dreams I had? Do you think you're the only one that's ever gone through this?"_

_The words struck a nerve as she replayed the message that both Yellowfang and Cinderpelt had given her._

_"Well, at least I have a life!" she shot back, and then slapped her tail over her mouth, eyes wide and mortified._

_Cinderpelt snarled and leaped._

_Turning around, Leafpool ran, her slender legs carrying her far far away to WindClan's territory, to the Moonpool, to ShadowClan- anywhere away from Cinderpelt._

_But finally her legs buckled beneath her and she sank to the ground, knowing with absolute certainty, that Cinderpelt, with her crippled back leg, would never be able to follow her._


	9. It's a Jumbled Mix

Brambleclaw glared at Ashfur, who was, once again, snuggled up against Squirrelflight in the warriors' den. He twitched his ears angrily as he stormed out of the den for a late- night hunting trip.

"Can't sleep?" Rainwish mewed hesitantly as he swept by. He could see the genuine concern in her eyes as she moved aside from the barrier, but he wasn't in any fit mood to appreciate it.

"Kind of," was all she got as a reply from the dark tom. Shaking her head, she resumed her position as sentry.

The cool night air of leaf- fall cleared up some of the moodiness from the tom's head. He stopped near a tree and stared up at the almost- full moon, knowing the Gathering was tomorrow. Trying to calm himself, he worked his claws into a nearby tree trunk, frustrated with himself.

_Why Squirrelflight? Why _Ashfur?

He hated himself for letting her go, hated himself for being so cold and cruel to her. As the Clan leader's daughter-

No.

As Squirrelflight. Hot- headed, short- tempered, defensive, bouncy...

Loyal, loving, and amazing cat that she was…

_What… what did I do?_

Horrified with himself.

_Too late to change things?_

Was it?

He was too confused inside to answer.

Suppressing a yawn as she padded back to the warriors' den to catch up on sleep, she narrowly avoided crashing into Ashfur and Squirrelflight as they exited. Shooting an apologetic glance up at the she- cat, not just for today, she was gratified with the same look as they passed each other.

Happy that their little spat was over, Rainwish had only just settled into her nest when Brackenfur called her name and assigned her to a border patrol. Her paws dragging, she joined Spiderleg and Brightheart at the tunnel entrance.

"Sorry," meowed Spiderleg. "We're short of warriors today; Cloudtail and Dustpelt caught some sort of sickness yesterday while they were out hunting."

"Isokay," Rainwish mumbled, suddenly noting the worry in Brightheart's eyes for her mate.

"Well, let's get started." Flicking her tail, Brightheart plunged through the gorse tunnel and the rest of the patrol followed.

For the past two days, Leafpool had been avoiding Cinderpelt.

And with good reason, too. Her mentor hadn't said anything about catching her with Crowfeather, but instead, every time Leafpool turned around, she could feel the gray medicine cat's blue gaze piercing through her fur.

_But tonight's the Gathering._

Leaping the rocks that led to Firestar's den, she poked her head through the entrance. "Firestar, may I speak to you?"

Looking up from a sparrow, he nodded at the sight of his daughter. "Of course, come in, Leafpool."

Shifting her paws, she blurted, "I got a thorn in my pad yesterday… may I be excused from going to the Gathering tonight?"

"Oh, alright. Be sure to take care of yourself, though," Firestar meowed briskly as he finished off the last scraps of his morning meal and padded out of the den. With a sigh of relief, Leafpool followed.

What she had told Firestar was true; she had a thorn in her pad. Although she was pretty sure he didn't know that she'd purposefully stepped one one until it worked its way into her flesh.

He probably would still make her go to the Gathering if he knew that.

Anticipation and fear clashed in her belly as she headed to the nursery to take care of Ferncloud, vaguely noticing Dustpelt sitting near the entrance.

Anticipation.

And fear.

But mostly anticipation.

Because the Gathering was tonight. Tonight was when she would say good- bye to everybody; her father, her sister, her mother, her mentor, her friends, her Clan…

And run away with the cat she loved...


	10. One Problem Resolved

_You can't be with me forever._

_Sooner or later we'll have to part-_

But I will never let you go.

They were running now, tails streaming over the open moorland as they tried to outrun their hopes, their fears, and their pasts.

Although Crowfeather could have outrun his partner, being a WindClan cat, he thoughtfully slowed his pace so Leafpool could keep pace with him. She was panting already, having had no training in the physical arts.

It was a long time until they stopped to rest, and by then, the moon had since started to slip away. The whole time, Leafpool had been scanning the sky, looking for clouds that might indicate that StarClan could see them. But the dark night skies were clear as they fled from their Clans, and the former medicine cat breathed a sigh of relief as the sky paled and the sun peeked up over the forest.

"Are you tired?"

His soft meow startled her. "Um… a bit…"

'A bit' was an understatement, she felt as if her legs would collapse beneath her.

Crowfeather saw right through it and stopped. She followed him thankfully, too wobbly on her paws to do anything else.

"Do you want to hunt?"

"Sure."

Squirrelflight stumbled into the clearing, tired from the Gathering that night. As she started to enter the warriors' den, Brambleclaw intercepted her, eyes dark. "Squirrelflight, can I talk to you?"

Surprised, she nodded before she had time to think. Noticing Ashfur's narrowed gaze out of the corner of her eye, she flicked her tail at him. "Uh, sure. Where?"

"Follow me." Waving his tail, he plunged through the tunnel. Utterly bemused, she followed him, wondering what in StarClan he would want to talk to her about.

After awhile, they came to the Windclan border, where Brambleclaw took a deep breath and let it out. Turning abruptly to face her, he meowed, "Squirrelflight, I'm really sorry for my behavior this past moon. It was completely unacceptable and rude of me, and I really hope you can forgive me…"

By now Squirrelflight was in complete shock. She could sense the truth behind his words and see the genuine apology in his amber eyes. One part of her brain was telling her to let him suffer and tell him no, the other was begging, _Forgive him, forgive him…!_

Yet she had missed his friendship for awhile as well, and there really wasn't any other option in her mind as she answered. "Of course, mouse- brain!" she purred, relieved as she saw the anxiety in his eyes change to a serene happiness.

"Thank you so much," the dark brown tom sighed. "Let's get back to camp now, we need to get some sleep for tomorrow…"

"Okay," she mewled chirpily as they made their way back to camp, a newfound companionship between them that hadn't been there for too long of a time.


	11. Where Is This Going?

_You'll go back eventually._

_I know it._

They had found a little home for themselves, far, far away from any of the Clan territory. It was a natural dip in the hillside with a small pond of sparkling water beside it. Prey ran rich in the surrounding forests, and there was a general sense of peace surrounding the area.

All in all, it was perfect.

Leafpool twined her tail with Crowfeather's as they padded off to find some bedding for their nest.

_This could be the start of a very happy life._

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.

There hadn't been sign of the fox that had killed Ferncloud's kits for awhile.

Rainwish shook out the morning dew from her fur as she returned from an early- morning hunting patrol. Dropping a mouse and two shrews on the pile, she continued on her path to the warrior's den to take a nap. As she was doing so, Squirrelflight came out, but this time, it was Brambleclaw by her side, not Ashfur.

"M-morning," Rainwish stammered as they passed by. Brambleclaw looked back at her and purred at the surprise in her eyes.

Shaking her head, she finally entered the den and flinched when Ashfur's face loomed up in the darkness, his blue eyes burning. She could only guess it had to do with Brambleclaw's 'reunion' with Squirrelflight. Sliding past him and curling up in her nest at last, her eyes closed and she drifted into sleep.

Her dreams were very confusing.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.

A/N: I'm really lazy and I kind of don't want to finish this since I started it like a year and a half ago. In addition, I'm not quite sure where to go with this and I'm kind of losing interest… I do better with oneshots and short stories. Sorry, but I don't know how to finish :(


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